Finding Success in the Face of Adversity

Success… It is something that keeps most people going. But what do you do when things do not go as planned and you fail? How do you choose to keep going? My first track season was filled with success because it was new, and the learning curve was steep. I qualified for UIL State and Move United Nationals and dropped a minute in my 400m time. I finished my first season feeling invincible.

But my second season was nothing like my first because I did so well in my first season I expected the second to be just the same. The difference was my first season everything was new I and was on a runner’s high. I became complacent at the end of my second season I did not get the results I was hoping for at UIL State or Move United Nationals. The part that sucked even more is that I felt like I deserved to do better. But that is when I learned a very valuable lesson. Grit or motivation can come from two different things success or failure. My first year I felt great at the end of my first season which gave me the grit to keep going to feel that same feeling again. At the end of the second season, I felt terrible and that is when I decided that I never wanted to feel like that again which motivated me to push harder to get the feeling I wanted to have. Because speaking from experience there is no worse feeling than finishing the season and not seeing your hard work pay off and not being able to do what you know and what you are capable of when it matters the most.

This is the hard part about being an adaptive athlete health can fluctuate from day to day so sometimes without reason and that is when you have to take every win you can. While I did not do as well as I wanted to at my second State experience what no one knew at the time is that I was feeling terrible if any other day I would have stayed home and slept the day away but I knew that if that I had worked hard enough to get to that point of competing at State I wasn’t going to let a bad health day ruin this opportunity. So in a way that day was a success just not the success I was hoping for. 

Another way I have looked at this is with gratitude there was a time when adaptive athletes were not allowed to compete on their school's track teams. I am thankful for all who helped make it possible for me to compete with my high school. Track and being involved in sports has taught me the importance of finding success in mundane everyday life. It is something we as humans thrive off of while the huge PRs and medals are nice, but that's just not practical for that to happen all of the time. Sometimes success can look like just getting out of bed and starting your day and those wins are just as important as those PRs and medals.

On those days when something doesn't go the way I was hoping it is natural to be self-absorbed and not acknowledge the success of those around you. This has been especially hard when you watch someone else get the results that you want. I am often brought back to this picture when I think of success. When just looking at this picture you would think I had just run the best race of my life. But that is far from the truth. My tire had popped on the starting line of my race and my time was not great either. This picture was taken right after my really good friend had just beat her regional record and this was me celebrating her accomplishment.

Finding success in all situations is something that has made me a better athlete and a happier person. It is something that my high school coach reminds me of often at the end of each meet she always tells the team to find two things we did well today and one thing we need to improve on. How can you find success in your life today? I would love to know ley me know in the comments.